Bateman's Back!

I imagine that it is pretty hard to be a working actor.

I respect those folks who have decided that the 9 to 5 life is not for them, and in doing so have chosen a life that involves sporadic bursts of work with time on their feet as a waiter/waitress in between. The emotional turmoil that an actor's life creates must be a bit unbearable at times. Getting into a character's head space that you might not like for a few weeks, crying on cue, and kissing people that you don't really like, and possibly even loathe, have to take some kind of emotional toll on a person.

Now I'm sure that many folks probably make a decent living doing regional theatre or Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway (I'm not sure how far Off-Broadway one can get before they are no longer able to say that they work Off-Broadway, but if you know or care to guess insert as many more "offs" as you like), and regional television commercials, but I'm sure that most of those thespians aspire to see their name in lights on a marquee in Hollywood.

Hollywood is surely a tough place to make a living. Just look at the short list of actors that work steadily or who find work in multiple decades (sorry that I can't provide said list, but here at Always the Last in Line, we have neither the money nor desire to hire on a researcher). Sure, there are a ton of "character" actors floating around, but to get those types of roles you have to look like Dennis Farina, Dennis Franz or Dennis Hopper (ok, Hopper isn't really a "character" actor, but I was on a role with the Dennis thing and didn't want to stop). The aforementioned list of people who have enjoyed long-term success in Hollywood is full of lucky stiffs who were on the right casting coach at the right time, and for every one of them there are probably hundreds of heart-wrenching tales that end in soft-core porn, reality TV, death, or dare I say it, mascot work.

And that's not to say that this bothers me. I actually prefer to see faces that I recognize on screen (unless of course I recognize them and can't place them ((this happened to me numerous times with the guy that played Buffalo Bill in the years following Silence of the Lambs)) at which point I spend the rest of the movie trying my damnedest to figure out where else I have seen them and usually don't figure it out until 2 am that night, finally allowing me to sleep).

Imagine my surprise then when Jason Bateman popped up on TV screens this year in the critically acclaimed Fox show "Arrested Development." Bateman, who has probably starred in more short-lived sitcoms than any other actor, has been, for the most part, off the radar for the past few years. After making his television debut on "Little House" in the early 80s he went on to star in "Silver Spoons" and "Valerie's Family." He hit the big screen with 87s Teen Wolf. Other parts followed, but as the 90s rolled around Bateman's star seemingly burnt out.

"Arrested Development" has changed all of that though. Bateman recently showcased his talents in the Ben Stiller/Owen Wilson vehicle Starsky & Hutch, and can also be seen in last weekend's top grossing film, Dodgeball: a True Underdog Story where he nearly stole the show from stars Stiller and Vince Vaughn.

Bateman is back, and although some may say that he never went away, it is still good to see him.